Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

studies in other locations where standardized protocols for assessing ecosystem services generation by evaluating condition have been performed, and where willingness to pay or contingency valuation gives an indication of the value of services. It must be noted, however, that valuation is very context-specific: therefore, the underlying assumptions about benefits-transfer must be explicitly stated. Further information on Blue Carbon and the valuation of other ecosystem services can be found in the following: Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean (Waite et al ., 2014) http://www.wri.org/coastal-capital Beyond carbon: Conceptualizing payments for ecosystem services in blue forests on carbon and other marine and coastal ecosystem services (Lau, 2012) http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_3397.pdf Marine and coastal ecosystem services: Valuation methods and their practical application (UNEP-WCMC, 2011) http://www.unep-wcmc.org/marine-and-coastal-ecosystem-services-valuation-methods-and-their- practical-application_663.html Payments for Ecosystem Services: Getting Started in Marine and Coastal Ecosystems: A Primer (Forest Trends and The Katoomba Group, 2010) http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_2374.pdf The many valuable ecosystem functions and services that coastal and marine ecosystems provide are tightly interlinked. Assessing and valuing ecosystem services entails understanding how Blue Carbon ES are inter- linked, assessing environmental conditions, understanding the way these services are valued and perceived in the local context, and assigning values. A better recognition of ecosystem services values - not just monetary but also their role in promoting better understanding of how ecosystems function and how they might be better managed, as well as non monetary values, such as cultural and spiritual values - can catalyze better policy and management practices. A combined Blue Carbon and ecosystem services approach may be necessary to secure the sustainable management of Blue Carbon ecosystems. Key takeaways:

Building Blue Carbon Projects An Introductory Guide

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